consciousness

What does it mean to be a conscious human being taking into account the mind and the body? There are so many levels of human consciousness that it’s impossible to answer this question in a general way… but one way to look at it would be to consider what it might mean to be a human mind without a body. That it’s possible has been documented. Completely paralyzed people, for instance, could be said to be a mind without a body, but that always makes it seem so undesirable. But then, there’s this other idea –– I’ve seen it on film -- Tibetan monks, sitting in sub–zero temperatures, bodies steaming while minds are steeped in deep meditation. This idea, that our consciousness doesn’t so much depend on our bodies as it does on our minds, seems much more desirable than thinking about being paralyzed. I mean, what would it be like to be in a state where only your eyes could move? I know I would probably be thinking that just being able to unclog a toilet would be fun. But really, who even wants to consider that? Now the other idea, that we can control our bodies, seemingly without effort, can lead to some interesting ideas about consciousness and where it resides.